Highland Alums Playing in the NFL

Two alumni of the Highland Community College football program have made the 53 man rosters of their respective teams for the 2016-17 season.  Brandon King, who played linebacker for the Scotties, is now a defensive back for the New England Patriots.  Defensive back Marwin Evans is a safety for the Green Bay Packers.

King, 6’2’ and 220 pounds, was an All-Jayhawk Conference performer for the Scotties in 2011 under Coach Mike Beagle and 2012 with Coach Ryan Held before transferring to Auburn.  While at Auburn, King played defensive back, defensive end, and on the special teams.  He was originally drafted by the Patriots, released at the end of training camp, and then re-signed.  King, who wears number 36 for the Patriots, is a native of Alabaster, AL.

Evans followed King the next year on the Scotties, and played defensive back for Coach Held before transferring to Utah State.  He stands 5’11’, weighs 211, and originally signed a free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks before landing with the Packers.  As a sophomore with the Scotties, Evans was All-Conference in the KJACC.  A native of Milwaukee, WI, Evans’ number with the Packers is 25.

Highland Volleyball Drops Tough Match to #3 KCK

The Highland Community College volleyball team took on the third-ranked nationally Blue Devils of Kansas City Kansas (KCK) Community College in a key Jayhawk Conference match.  The Scotties entered this match with a six-game win streak, looking to continue on at the expense of the Blue Devils.

The first game of the match was a battle between the Scotties and the Blue Devils. Mariana Falls (Dislodge, MO) and Shailey Caudle (Atchison) stepped up and took control of the net for the Scotties, both contributing big blocks and kills. The Scotties were able to pull away and end the game with a big kill by Caudle for a score of 25-17.

In the second game, Demi Bartonek (Olmitz) and Emily Nelson (Bonner Springs) stepped in for the Scotties and picked up great digs each and with the help from setters Megan Rhule (Holton) and Josie Vitosh (Odell, NE) the front row was able to get the kills added up. With the emotions flying on both teams, and neither team giving up, the Blue Devils stole the second game, 27-25.

The third set started off rough for the Scotties as the Blue Devils took the lead early and forced a timeout at 2-7. The errors added up for the Scotties and another timeout was needed when the score went 3-14. The fight never subsided as the Scotties worked to close the gap with great plays by Vitosh, Tyrecia Lukes (Homestead, FL), and Caudle, but it just was not enough as the Blue Devils took the third game 25-17 to go up one.

Nelson contributed a big ace and a big stuff block by Lukes to follow helped close the gap early in the fourth game at 8-10. The Blue Devils gained some leverage forcing the Scotties to take their first time out at 9-16. With great effort by Nelson in the backrow, and great net plays in the front by Lukes and Caudle, the Scotties fell just short in the fourth and deciding game as the Blue Devils won the game at 25-15 and the match at 3-1.

Assistant Coach Alex Petock offered her thoughts after the tough loss. "The momentum shift in the second game got us when we made three errors at the end. It was all on our side of the court; they did not beat us, we beat ourselves. We will learn from this and move on to the next game."

The backrow digs really stood out as the Scotties had six players in double digit digs, totaling 91. Caudle stepped up with 17 kills while Lukes contributed 13. Highland will travel to Ottawa to compete against Ottawa JV on Friday, September 9. The Scottie volleyball team is now 6-4 on the year.